Ultraflex Systems released a buyer's guide for printable wallcovering that prioritizes ASTM E84 Class A fire certification and distinguishes three material families: Type II PVC vinyl, PVC-free nonwoven, and premium wide-width media.
Pinnacle Custom Signs@PinnacleCstmSgnPulse Score1818
Pinnacle Custom Signs@PinnacleCstmSgnPulse Score1818
Extec Corp.@ExtecCorpPulse Score1515UltraFlex Systems released a specification guide detailing three blockout banner constructions: black-back, greyback, and double-sided builds, across 23 products from 7 oz to 20 oz. The guide advises selecting construction by number of printed faces and viewing distance, noting that full opacity starts at 7 oz while weight determines structural performance. It also flags that 6 of 23 products lack Latex compatibility and that flame listings vary, with only UltraBlockout Banner Pro grades carrying five certifications.
Craftsmen Industries, Inc.@craftsmenindustPulse Score1515UltraFlex Systems released a material guide for silicone edge graphics (SEG) that specifies VorTex textiles by lighting condition, print process, and flame-resistance listing.
Nearly 50 companies across North America and one in South Africa will open their shops to high school, technical and community college students for Sign MFG Day 2026 on Friday, Oct. 2. Created by the International Sign Association with the National Association of Manufacturers, the event has led to job shadowing, internship programs and full-time hires, and connects sign companies with local educators for ongoing job placement. ISA President and CEO Lori Anderson said the 2026 event is expected to build on past success as older workers retire.
UltraFlex Systems released a buyer's guide detailing four pre-order checks for its VorTex Soft Signage range, where 24 of 35 fabrics are dye sublimation stock and 16 accept both direct and transfer workflows.
The American Composites Manufacturers Association will hold its North American Pultrusion Conference on April 13–15, 2027, in downtown Chicago, in collaboration with EPTA and WPC. The three-day event is expected to draw 200+ industry leaders, customers, OEMs, and suppliers, with two keynotes and an onsite exhibit hall covering pultrusion standards, technology, and trends.
The FRP in Sustainable Buildings Program is offering FRP manufacturers participation opportunities at the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2027, held May 19–22, 2027, in Philadelphia, PA. Participating companies can reach architects, specifiers, designers, and building officials through educational programming, product visibility, and networking. An informational webinar on participation opportunities is scheduled for November 18, 2026, from 1:00–1:45 p.m. ET.
ACMA will hold its Composites 2027 Fly-In in Washington, D.C., from June 8-10, bringing industry leaders together to meet directly with Members of Congress, federal agencies, and key decision-makers. Attendees will advocate for policies advancing composite materials across critical markets and gain insight into upcoming federal legislation, regulations, and funding opportunities. The event also targets partnerships in infrastructure, housing, and defense.
Jonathan | Fabworks 🏭@jonathan_sessaPulse Score55Jonathan Sessa thanked @JulianFried for hosting and said he had a great time seeing the robots.
CAMX 2027, the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo, will take place October 18–21, 2027, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. The event is positioned around cutting-edge technology, networking, and inspiration for the composites and advanced materials industry.
UltraFlex Systems released a guide detailing its VorTex printable fabric lines—D Line for direct dye-sublimation, T Line for transfer, and S Line for UV, latex, and solvent—for applications including SEG, backlit boxes, flags, and wallcoverings.
Ultraflex Systems released a specification guide detailing how to select billboard vinyl by lighting, framing, wind exposure, and fire listing, covering frontlit, blockout, and mesh grades.
ISA Converge will bring purchasing decision-makers from national sign and graphics companies together with suppliers and distributors on Oct. 28–30 at Virgin Hotels Nashville. The limited-attendance event uses small group supplier showcases, followed by buyer-selected follow-up meetings based on sourcing priorities. Participation is restricted to eligible ISA National Sign and Graphics Company and Supplier/Distributor members.
The Trump Administration expanded its Section 338 tariff actions against Canada, bringing finished composites into scope while carbon fiber, glass fiber, and the most common composites resin systems remain outside the tariffs.
ISA BuildU, presented by Yorston & Associates, brings its one-day hands-on sign-building workshop to Cincinnati's American Sign Museum on October 6. The expert-led program covers the entire sign process—concept, material selection, fabrication, installation, and project management—combining classroom sessions with interactive build stations. It targets fabricators, project managers, owners, designers, and sales professionals; registration is open, with BuildU Dallas planned for December.
Congress passed a continuing resolution last week that extends both current surface transportation funding and EPA's authority to collect fees under the Toxic Substances Control Act until December.
Jonathan | Fabworks 🏭@jonathan_sessaPulse Score55Risk & Progress has published an essay examining a job-free future, framed within its stated mission to explore risk, human progress, and human potential. The piece appears under the publication's free-subscription model, with paid subscribers receiving access to the full archive and the Pathways of Progress series. The available source text does not disclose specific companies, materials, equipment, or technical metrics.
RACE Composite Repair@RACECompRepairPulse Score11To Sweet Springs we go! The POWRi National & West Midget Leagues kick off Night 1 of the Summer Sendoff tonight at Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex.
Ultraflex Systems released a buyer's guide detailing its EcoVantage PVC-free PET film and ReSource recycled-yarn textile lines, specifying certification and end-of-life claim requirements for print service providers.
The SBA has proposed raising small-business size standards for 436 of the 1,037 industries it reviewed, expanding eligibility for SBA-backed loans, guarantees, lower taxes, and certain compliance exemptions.
Designer Katherine Soucie defines upcycling as a design-led transformation of discarded or surplus material into a new product, material, method, or application of increased value, distinguishing it from recycling, simple reuse, repair, and cosmetic sustainability.
Kevin Wyss, director of graphene applications at Avadain Graphene, told Composites Manufacturing that graphene performance in FRP composites depends on lateral flake size, thickness, defect density, dispersion quality, and resin compatibility rather than the generic label.
Dr. Nagesh Ramaswamy and a University of Houston research team designed, validated, and constructed a full-scale overhead highway sign structure using retired GE37 wind turbine blade sections supplied by Carbon Rivers as primary columns and horizontal members.
Manufacturing & Process Note: Repurposing retired blade spar caps with tensile strengths near 90 ksi shifts the cost burden from raw material procurement to inspection and connection engineering; plant managers should budget for non-destructive testing of legacy laminates and for specialized load-transfer hardware before committing to structural reuse programs.
Textile artist Katherine Soucie created "Material Tides," a site-specific installation for Westin London City built from the hotel's retired bedsheets, shower curtains, towels, robes and blankets, reassembled through appliqué and stitching.
ISA has launched the Content Collective, a group of ISA members who regularly contribute real-world experiences, practical advice and business insights on topics affecting the sign, graphics, print, wrap and visual communications industry. A few times each year, ISA sends contributors a short set of questions, and members choose which to answer with brief responses that ISA compiles into articles, newsletters and other content. Participants must be employed by an ISA member company or an affiliated association.
Röhm is positioning its PLEXIGLAS® proTerra portfolio, which incorporates mechanically recycled PMMA or sustainably certified raw materials, to help automotive customers meet the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation confirmed at the end of July 2026.
Manufacturing & Process Note: The EU End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation sets binding recycled-plastic quotas of 15% by weight from 2032 and 25% from 2036, making mechanically recycled PMMA grades a procurement planning item for automotive tier suppliers. Plant managers should verify that proTerra grade specifications match virgin-material optical and mechanical tolerances before requalifying molded lamp covers and light guides.
UltraFlex Systems released a specification guide for tension fabric displays, detailing how fabric weight, opacity, and knit construction determine image quality and frame concealment.
Katherine Soucie has tested Cheekyarn's Loop8 recycled yarn as a structural component in upcycled textiles built from recycled wool-blend sock waste sourced from J Alex Swift. In her trials, Loop8 remained visible and structurally present through wet and dry felting, unlike wool yarns that merged into the sock material. The 8-ply yarn proved slightly too large for the needle eye of her Merrow Crochet Purl Edge machine, so she adapted with hand stitching.
